


xxv. presumed dead

by icymapletree



Series: febuwhump/febufluff 2020 [25]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Febuwhump, Gen, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Presumed Dead, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22902802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icymapletree/pseuds/icymapletree
Summary: Tony records a message for Pepper, on the off chance that she’s out there listening. He records one for Peter, too, even though he knows in his heart of hearts that the kid is dead.“Hey kid. If you’re out there - which I doubt with my luck, but there’s always a chance...” He takes a deep breath. “I’ll reiterate what I recorded for Pepper - it’s been twenty one days stranded here… and I’m starting to lose hope, since, you know, oxygen runs out tomorrow morning.”
Relationships: Nebula & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: febuwhump/febufluff 2020 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618837
Comments: 18
Kudos: 132





	xxv. presumed dead

**Author's Note:**

> it's the final countdown! bada bum bum bada bum bum bum
> 
> NOW WITH A RUSSIAN TRANSLATION: https://ficbook.net/readfic/9120472

Tony thought the grief would be the worst part of being one of the survivors. But, as selfish as it is, it’s not. 

He feels hollow, the hunger radiating through him whenever he does as much as close his eyes. The lack of oxygen doesn’t help, it makes everything feel hazy.

The pain was crippling at first, and all he could think about was food. Eventually, the pain faded into the background, and it was fine for a little while. 

But when it returned, it was more debilitating than before. He’s living in a state of trance, with only Nebula to guide him. 

They try to play games, like paper football, and they’re fun for a little while. Tony can put on a mask for her, be his usually exuberant and sarcastic self. It helps both of them when he does that, but when the hunger returns, the feeling’s worse than ever before. 

Nebula expresses interest in moving to earth if they ever get out of this mess. Tony’s made it his mission to teach her as much about earth as possible, even if they may never make it back there.

They sit in the pilot’s chairs, watching the stars glow. The beauty is taunting - if space will be his tomb, at least its looks are astounding.

“You know, on earth, everyone doesn’t always say what they mean.”

Nebula turns to look at him, her ever stoic face slightly scowled. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve gotta be careful,” Tony sighs, “Especially with kids. They’ll take everything literally.”

“Like your Peter?”

He winces. “Yeah, like my Peter.”

Tony could feel it, he knew his luck - there’s no way Peter’s still alive. He’d sent him back to earth without a second thought, to try and keep him _safe_. His usually full head has only one one thought - that he never got to say goodbye. But he’d see Peter soon, if his hunger and the oxygen levels are anything to go by.

“Can I have an example?”

“Uh, hm.” Tony tilts his head. “Once, I told Peter to stop calling me Mr. Stark. He kind of listened - he started calling me Dr. Stark, but I wanted him to call me Tony.” Nebula looks at him confused. “That’s not a great example,” he says quickly, “but that’s kind of the idea.”

“Ah. So whenever I introduce myself, I must clarify that I will only be called Nebula?”

“If you’d like.”

She seems to ponder this for a second, the cosmos reflected in her eyes. “Can we play paper football again?”

Tony’s face softens. “Of course.”

They play for awhile, before the lethargy makes his entire body feel heavy. The only thing keeping him awake is the presence of Nebula, who finally won a game after all of this time. They try to make some repairs in the ship, get it going again, but it’s not enough. 

Tony records a message for Pepper, on the off chance that she’s out there listening. He records one for Peter, too, even though he knows in his heart of hearts that the kid is dead. 

“Hey kid. If you’re out there - which I doubt with my luck, but there’s always a chance...” He takes a deep breath. “I’ll reiterate what I recorded for Pepper - it’s been twenty one days stranded here… and I’m starting to lose hope, since, you know, oxygen runs out tomorrow morning.” 

Nebula peaks over at him, but he continues. “If you ever see this-- I love you, kid... No one can say anything different, you were my family-- and I wish we had more time together.” Tony feels his body giving out, but he spares a few more words. “See you on the flip side, Underoos.”

He faintly recalls Nebula bringing him to the pilot’s seat, the same place where they shared hopeful conversations about earth. Tony feels himself reaching out with the last of him to Peter, or to Pepper, to anyone who may be listening.

That’s when a piercing gold light shines into his eyes, forcing them open. It’s actually a woman - an angel? - that takes the hull of their ship and guides them down. His stomach lurches, but it’s alright, his suffering will be over soon.

Tony vaguely realizes that they’re jumping through space, then he notices that they’re landing. He sees the outline of the compound, and that’s when it dawns on him - this isn’t the afterlife, this is just plain life.

Adrenaline shoots through his system, and suddenly he’s awake, with a need to know who’s still here. His painful hunger is overshadowed, because Peter might be here-- Peter and Pepper and Rhodey.

Steve is the first to greet him, and he holds back his revulsion. He’s glad that Steve is alive-- but he wants to know about his _family_.

“I couldn’t stop him,” Tony exhales, Steve supporting his shoulders.

“Neither could I.” 

He wants to ask _who else is dead?_ , but he stops himself because there’s one thing that’s a priority. He’d never forgive himself if Peter is gone.

“Where’s the kid?”

“He fought with us in Wakanda, Tony.”

That’s not what he wants to hear, he wants to know the kid is alive, that he’s not traumatized, but he doesn’t have to wonder long.

“Mr. Stark!” Peter calls, trailing Steve. “Oh my god,” he breathes, “ _Tony._ ”

Tony pulls him into an embrace that is filled with pure relief. Peter sniffles and wipes his eyes. “I thought you were dead,” he whispers in Tony’s ear, “May’s gone and I just… I wouldn’t have anyone else.”

“I thought that you were dead too,” Tony confesses, pressing his nose to Peter’s hair, expecting to smell the kid’s normal shampoo. Instead, it smells acrid, like something has been burning.

Maybe in another world, Peter is dead. But he’s here in this one, his expressions wracked by war. But he’s still _here,_ when many parents can’t say that about their kids. 

Tony pulls away for the briefest of moments. “And Pepper?” he breathes. 

“Gone with the rest.” Peter wipes his eyes. “Rhodey too.”

The grief floods him in a way it hadn’t in space, held back by a glass wall. At least Peter is here and alive, he can make that work. After all, he’d have to, since they’re all each other has.

**Author's Note:**

> hope that you enjoyed! come talk to me on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/icymapletree)


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